According to Webster’s dictionary, a resolution is defined as:
A firm decision to do or not to do something.
In this context, a resolution is a promise to yourself.
So, just how important are promises to you?
Did you know that promises are also considered to be social contracts?
When you promise to do something and then don’t do it, it has negative consequences on how you see yourself and how you relate to the world. As individuals, we remember broken promises for years, especially when it has to do with an emotional event.
According to research, here are three reasons why keeping your promises are important:
1. When you keep your promise, you teach others to trust you.
2. When you make a promise, you are telling others they are important to you.
3. When you keep your promise you are showing you are a person of integrity.
When you fail to keep your promises, you teach people:
1. Not to trust you
2. That they are not important
3. That you are not an honest person
Now if that all happens when you fail to keep promises to others, what happens when you break a social contract with yourself?
What happens when you lie to yourself?
What happens when you fail to follow through on the promises you made to yourself?
You guessed it, you hurt yourself, including your self-worth, self-esteem and your self-concept. And unfortunately, you won’t forget this for many years to come, if at all.
So what can you do to combat breaking promises to yourself, well, do what I do.
I’ve developed the 21DD
Let me explain how it works.
21 Daily Discipline Plan works like this: Science has proved that it takes 21 days to develop a habit, so I break my commitments into 21-day increments.
It’s a lot easier to keep a promise to yourself for 21 days than to make a resolution that you break after just a few days.
I keep myself on track by using journals. That is the #1 and only way to ensure your success in life. Keep track of what you do.
When you track what you do, your mind is focused on that project and you always get it done. So you need to get a journal to track your progress for 21 days straight.
I recommend using following journals:
Or you can use the free one I developed and that comes with my 21-day online course that helps you master your mindset so you can begin to really stick to the goals that you set for yourself.
It’s not what you use, you’ve just got to use something.
Another thing that will help you keep your commitments is to think of this question:
We are the same way. Too many people settle for mediocre and average. They are afraid and so they continue to break their promises and lie to themselves. The majority of people underestimate themselves. You aim for what you know you can reach and you hit it every time.
Instead, you should aim for that thing just beyond your grasp, and not surprisingly, you will hit it too. Do not take this amazing trip through life and never pay the full fare. For every promise there is a price to pay.
It starts from the inside out and it’s never easy and people will criticize you, but if you want to grow, you must take a risk. The greatest stretching in life comes when we do things that are not easy and that have never been done by us before.
If you want true happiness and success, you must follow through on what you said you would do. Otherwise, your soul dies a little each time you fail to keep your word.
Abraham Maslow said, “If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.”
